Coating method and coating composition used therein

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a method of coating a substrate under ambient conditions by conventional single step application means, such as single spray heads with a single pack fast dry paint, containing a coating composition of the present invention, which contains a latex binder, an associative thickener and a water soluble organic volatile solvent. The amounts the associative thickener and the solvent are such that the paint has an in-can viscosity under ambient conditions in the range of from 1,000 cps to 6,000 cps and a set-to-touch dry time rating under ASTM D-1640 of less than 10 minutes. The method of the present invention and coating composition used therein can be used to produce a quick drying coating useful as, a pavement or road marking traffic paint for concrete, asphalt or bituminous roads, walkways, or parking lots.

This application is a divisional 09/108142 filed Jun. 30, 1998 now U.S.Pat. No. 6,027,763 which claims benefit to Provisional Application No.60,051660 filed Jul. 3, 1997.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention is concerned with coating compositions having a low VOCcontent and which are quick to dry but easy to apply, their preparationand use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It has long been desired to reduce both the drying time of coatingcompositions, especially for use as traffic paints, and, forenvironmental reasons, the content of volatile organic components (VOC)in them (The permissible amount of VOC that can be released in the airin the United States from traffic paints is expected to drop to lessthan 150 grams of VOC per liter of paint). However these two attributesare in conflict because replacing VOC with water generally increasesdrying time, especially under ambient high humid conditions, whichtypically vary in the range of from 65 percent to 90 percent.

Improving the drying speed of aqueous compositions has been attempted,e.g. in EP-A 7210003, by adopting a two-stage approach wherein a layerof aqueous polymer is first applied, followed immediately by theapplication of thickener to accelerate its drying. However this approachis cumbersome and the two-stage, twin pack approach it demands fails tomeet the third desirable attribute of coating compositions, namely thatthey be easy to apply.

This invention addresses the problem of reducing the VOC content ofcoating compositions which remain quick to dry and easy to apply in asingle step by conventional single stage application means, such asair-atomized spray, airless spray, air-assisted airless spray, and highvolume low pressure spray.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method of coating a substratecomprising:

applying under ambient conditions on the surface of said substrate alayer of a single pack fast dry paint containing a low VOC waterbornecoating composition, said composition comprising a latex binder, anassociative thickener and a water soluble organic volatile solvent,wherein the amounts said associative thickener and said solvent are suchthat said paint has an in-can viscosity under ambient conditions in therange of from 1,000 cps to 6,000 cps and a set-to-touch dry time ratingunder ASTM D-1640 of less than 10 minutes; and

evaporating said solvent from said layer to form said coating on saidsubstrate.

The present invention is also directed to a method of improving dryingtime of a traffic marking on a road or pavement surface comprising:

applying said surface a layer of a single pack traffic paint containinga low VOC waterborne coating composition comprising a latex binder, anassociative thickener in the range of from 0.01 percent to 10 percent,and a water soluble organic volatile solvent in the range of from 0.2percent to 10 percent, all in volume percentages based on the totalvolume of the composition, wherein said traffic paint has an in-canviscosity under ambient conditions in the range of from 1,000 cps to6,000 cps and a set-to-touch dry time rating under ASTM D-1640 of lessthan 10 minutes;

evaporating said solvent from said layer to form said traffic marking onsaid substrate.

The present invention is further directed to a fast dry low VOC singlepack waterborne coating composition comprising:

a latex binder;

an associative thickener in the range of from 0.01 percent to 10percent; and

a water soluble organic volatile solvent in the range of from 0.2percent to 10 percent, all in volume percentages based on the totalvolume of the composition, wherein a traffic paint containing saidcomposition has an in-can viscosity under ambient conditions in therange of from 1,000 cps to 6,000 cps and a set-to-touch dry time ratingunder ASTM D-1640 of less than 10 minutes.

One of the advantage of the present invention is that it provides acomposition with sufficiently low in-can viscosity, so that a paintprepared therefrom can be easily sprayed by conventional single headtraffic paint application devices.

Yet another advantage is that a layer of a paint containing thecomposition of the present invention dries at a faster rate than a layerconventional waterborne paints even under high humidity conditions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used herein:

“GPC weight average molecular weight” means the molecular weight of apolymer determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), using adifferential refractometer as a detector. A set of 3 GPC columns packedwith styrene/divinyl benzene beads having pore sizes in the range 100 to10,000 angstroms, are typically used during the analysis. Generally thesolvent used is tetrahydrofuran (THF), flowing at a rate of 1.0 ml/min.through the GPC columns. The temperature of the columns is usuallymaintained at 40° C.

The instrument, such as the one supplied by Polymer Laboratories,Amherst, Mass. and American Polymer Standards Co., Mentor, Oh. is firstcalibrated for molecular weight using narrow distribution polystyrene ora polymethacrylate standards. The weight average molecular weight of thesample is then determined by using the following equation:

Weight average molecular weight (Mw)=Σ(R×M)/ΣH

where R is the detector response measured above baseline at a given timeand M is the molecular weight at that time, as determined from thecalibration logarithm. The summation is made for the elution time atpeak start to the elution time at peak end. This summation is the numberreported as the weight average molecular weight. Further details of gelpermeation chromatography (GPC) are found at page 4, Chapter I of TheCharacterization of Polymers published by Rohm and Haas Company,Philadelphia, Pa. in 1976.

“Glass transition temperature (Tg)” is a narrow range of temperature, asmeasured by conventional differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), duringwhich amorphous polymers change from relatively hard brittle glasses torelatively soft viscous rubbers. To measure the Tg by this method, thecopolymer samples were dried, preheated to 120° C., rapidly cooled to−100° C., and then heated to 150° C. at a rate of 20° C./minute whiledata was being collected. The Tg was measured at the midpoint of theinflection using the half-height method.

“Latex binder” means “Dispersed polymer”, “Solubilized polymer” (bothdefined below), or a mixture thereof.

“Dispersed polymer” means particles of polymer, which are colloidallydispersed and stabilized in an aqueous medium.

“Solubilized polymer” includes “Water soluble polymer”, “Water reduciblepolymer” or a mixture thereof Water soluble polymer means a polymerdissolved in an aqueous medium. Water reducible polymer means a polymerdissolved in water and water miscible solvent. Solubilized polymerresults in a polymer solution characterized by having the self-crowdingconstant (K) of the Money equation [1/ln_(hrel)=1/BC−K/2.5] equal tozero. By contrast, dispersed polymer has (K) equal to 1.9. The detailsof Money equation are disclosed in an article entitled “PhysicalCharacterization of Water Dispersed and Soluble Acrylic Polymers” byBrendley et al., in “Nonpolluting Coatings and Coating Processes”published by Plenum Press, 1973 and edited by Gordon and Prane.

“Polymer particle size” means the diameter of the polymer particlesmeasured by using a Brookhaven Model BI-90 Particle Sizer supplied byBrookhaven Instruments Corporation, Holtsville, NY., which employs aquasi-elastic light scattering technique to measure the size of thepolymer particles. The intensity of the scattering is a function ofparticle size. The diameter based on an intensity weighted average isused. This technique is described in Chapter 3, pages 48-61, entitledUses and Abuses of Photon Correlation Spectroscopy in Particle Sizing byWeiner et al. in 1987 edition of American Chemical Society Symposiumseries.

“Polymer solids” means polymer in its dry state.

“(meth)acrylate” includes acrylate and methacrylate.

“In-can viscosity” is the viscosity of a paint at the moment ofapplication, such as at the time of spraying of the paint on the surfaceof a substrate.

Normally, the presence of an associative thickener in a coatingcomposition tends to increase the in-can viscosity of a paint containingsuch a composition to a level where it becomes very difficult to applythe paint by conventional application means. Applicant has unexpectedlydiscovered that by adjusting the amount of the associative thickener andby adding a water soluble volatile organic solvent to the composition ata certain unexpected level, one can achieve an in-can viscositysufficiently low to render the paint sprayable by conventional sprayingmeans while drying rapidly upon application over a substrate. Theviscosity of a paint containing the composition of the presentinvention, as measured at ambient temperature by Brookfield Model LVTViscometer supplied by Brookfield Engineering Laboratories INC.,Stoughton, Mass., (#3 spindle @ 30 RPM), varies in the range of from1,000 to 6,000, preferably 1000 to 3500 centipoise (cps). If theviscosity exceeds the upper limit, it becomes very difficult to spraythe paint by conventional single step spray application means. If theviscosity drops below the lower limit, it would take too long for alayer from the paint to dry.

It is believed that the associative thickener in the waterbornecomposition increases the viscosity of a waterborne coating compositionin part by forming a network of thickener molecules and polymerparticles. This network is formed by the association of the thickenerhydrophobes with themselves and with the surface of the polymerparticles. Water soluble organic volatile solvents tend to solvate thesehydrophobic segments and decrease their tendency to associate, therebyinhibiting the ability of the thickener to increase the viscosity of thecoating. When a layer from a paint containing the composition of thepresent invention is applied over a substrate surface, the volatilewater-soluble organic solvent rapidly evaporates, and the thickener'shydrophobic segments begin to associate, causing the viscosity toincrease. Thus, if sufficient amount of the thickener is used, the finalviscosity will be high enough for the layer to dry and set rapidly intoa coating.

The amount of the associative thickener added to the composition is suchthat a freshly applied layer from a paint containing the compositionwould have an upper set-to-touch dry time rating when measured underASTM D 1640 of less than 10 minutes, preferably less than 8 minutes andmost preferably less than 5 minutes. The ASTM D 1640 test is conductedat an ambient temperature in the range of from 20° C. to 23° C. and50±2% relative humidity for a film of 0.305 mm (12 mil) wet filmthickness. The lower set-to-touch dry time rating under the ASTM D 1640test is 10 seconds. Applicant has unexpectedly discovered that byadjusting the amount of the associative thickener added to thecomposition, the foregoing set-to-dry time rating for the paintcontaining the coating composition of the present invention can beobtained by adding in the range of 0.01% to 10%, preferably in the rangeof 0.05% to 2% of the associative thickener. All percentages being involume percentages based on the total volume of the paint.

It should be understood that the actual drying time for a layer of thepaint containing the coating composition of the present invention wouldbe different than the dry time rating under ASTM D 1640 test, sinceactual drying time depends upon many factors, such as ambienttemperature and layer thickness. The wet film thickness of the layer ofthe paint, depending on the intended use, generally varies in the rangeof from 0.025 mms (1 mil) to 0.75 mms (30 mils). When used as a metalcoating it may vary in the range of from 0.025 mms (1 mil) to 0.25 mms(10 mils) and when used as a traffic marking it may vary in the range offrom 0.25 mms (10 mils) to 0.75 mms (30 mils). Actual drying time ofsuch a layer generally varies in the range of from 10 seconds to 30minutes.

The associative thickener, sometimes also known as hydrophobe-modifiedwater soluble polymer, used in the present invention can be anythickener or rheology modifier which contains at least two hydrophobicsegments separated by hydrophilic segments. A hydrophobic segment isdefined to be any organic moiety which, if the point(s) of attachment tothe hydrophilic segments were replaced by bonds to hydrogen atoms, wouldhave a solubility in water at 20° C. of less than 1 percent by weightbased on the total weight of the hydrogenated hydrophobic segment. Ahydrophilic segment is defined to be any organic moiety which, if thepoint(s) of attachment to the hydrophobic segments were replaced bybonds to hydrogen atoms, would have a solubility in water at 20° C. atsome pH between 2 and 12 of greater than 5 percent by weight based onthe total weight of the hydrogenated hydrophobic segment.

Examples of suitable associative thickener include the hydrophobicethoxylated urethane resins (HEUR thickeners), which are generally thereaction products of polyethylene glycols with diisocyanates. Some ofsuch associative thickeners are described in a commonly assigned U.S.Pat. No. 4,155,892. The HEUR thickeners are urethane polymers having atleast three low molecular weight hydrophobic groups at least two ofwhich are terminal (external) hydrophobic groups. Many of the polymersalso contain one or more internal hydrophobic groups. The hydrophobicgroups together contain a total of at least 20 carbon atoms and arelinked through hydrophilic (water soluble) groups. The size of thehydrophobe size varies in the range of from 50 to 700 grams per mole,preferably in the range of from 100 to 500 grams per mole and mostpreferably in the range of from 200 to 350 grams per mole. The molecularweight of the thickener is such that it can readily solubilize in water,either by self-solubilization or through interaction with a knownsolubilizing agent, such as a water miscible alcohol or surfactant. Themolecular weight of the thickener is in the range of from 5,000 to200,000, preferably in the range of from 5,000 to 50,000, morepreferably in the range of from 10,000 to 30,000 and most preferably inthe range of from 15,000 to 20,000.

The HEUR polymers are prepared in non-aqueous media and are the reactionproducts of at least reactants (a) and (c) of the following reactants:(a) at least one water soluble polyether polyol, (b) at least one waterinsoluble organic polyisocyanate, (c) at least one monofinctionalhydrophobic organic compound selected from monofunctional activehydrogen compounds and organic monoisocyanates, and (d) at least onepolyhydric alcohol or polyhydric alcohol ether. The products formedinclude the following:

(1) Reaction products of a reactant (a) containing at least threehydroxyl groups, and the foregoing organic monoisocyanates;

(2) Reaction products of reactant (a), reactant (b) containing twoisocyanate groups, and the foregoing active hydrogen containingcompounds. Such compounds wherein the ratio of equivalents of (a) to (b)is 0.5:1 to 1:1;

(3) Reaction products of reactant (a), reactant (b) containing at leastthree isocyanate groups, and the active hydrogen containing compounds;

(4) Reaction products of reactant (a), reactant (b) and the organicmonoisocyanates; and

(5) Reaction products of reactants (a), (b), (d) and the organicmonoisocyanates. The HEUR thickeners are preferred. One of the advantageof using the HEUR thickener is that a paint prepared therefrom does nothave a strong odor, which is typically associated with high pH coatingcompositions.

Another type of associative thickener includes hydrophobized alkalisoluble/swellable emulsions (HASE thickeners), which are generallycopolymers of high levels of (meth)acrylic acid with hydrophobicmonomers.

Yet another type of associative thickener is an acrylamide copolymerthickener, such as that described in the commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.4,395,524. Such a thickener is an aqueous solution of a water soluble,nonionic or anionic vinyl addition copolymer of, by weight, at least 50%acrylamide, 0.01 to 50%, an N-substituted acrylamide and, optionally upto 49.99% other vinyl monomers. The substituent on the nitrogen ofacrylamide is hydrocarbyl and has 6 or more carbon atoms or is such ahydrocarbyl group attached to the nitrogen via a polyoxyalkylene chain.The GPC weight average molecular weight of the copolymer is greater than30,000 but less than 2 million.

The polyacrylamide thickener is preferably a copolymer of acrylamide andone or more N-substituted acrylamides. In other embodiments, it is acopolymer of these amides and other vinyl monomers, preferablyhydrophilic, such as hydroxypropyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate,hydroxyethyl acrylate, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, and especially,N-vinylpyrrolidone. Ionic acrylamide copolymers are made bycopolymerization with ionizable monomers, preferably methacrylic acid,acrylic acid and itaconic acid. Nonionic copolymers are preparedemploying N-vinylpyrrolidone or the hydroxyalkyl acrylates ormethacrylates or hydroxy-, alkoxy-, or polyalkoxyalkyl acrylates andmethacrylates, the preferred alkyl groups in these compounds having 2 to4 carbon atoms and most preferably 2 or 3, i.e., being ethoxy or propoxymaterials.

The acrylamide copolymer thickener is a product of free radicalpolymerization, preferably conducted in an atmosphere substantially freeof oxygen and employing a free radical initiator at the usual levels,such as between 0.05 and 20 milliequivalents per 100 grams (meq/100 g)monomer. A chain transfer agent may be employed over a wide range ofconcentration with 0.05 to 20 meq/100 g dibasic acids, such as halfesters, other alkyl and substituted alkyl amides of acrylic acid,methacrylic acid, maleic acid (mono- and di-amides), fumaric acid (mono-and di-amides), and itaconic acid (mono- and di-amides), methacrylamide,diacetone acrylamide, alkyl vinyl ethers, such as butyl vinyl ether, andureido monomers, including those with cyclic ureido groups. Anothervariation on the inclusion of the hydrophilic monomer, for example, iswhen a monomer is included in the polymerization mix which is not itselfhydrophilic, but is altered in processing or in a subsequent step, e.g.,by hydrolysis, to provide hydrophilicity; anhydride- andepoxide-containing monomers are examples. Other examples are the estersof vinyl alcohol such as vinyl formate, vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate,vinyl butyrate, and vinyl versatate. Hydrolysis of these monomersproduces vinyl alcohol mer units in the polymer which mer units arehydrophilic. The preferred monomer of these is vinyl acetate.

As stated earlier, the composition of the present invention includes thevolatile water-soluble organic solvent. The level of volatilewater-soluble organic solvent is such that a paint containing thecomposition can be easily sprayed by conventional spray techniques, suchas air-atomized spray, airless spray, air-assisted airless spray, andhigh volume low pressure spray. As the volatile water-soluble organicsolvent evaporates from a layer applied from a paint containing thecomposition of the present invention, the associative thickener presentin the layer acts to substantially increase the viscosity, therebyaccelerating the set-to-touch drying rate of the layer. Generally theviscosity, upon the evaporation of the solvent from the layer, increasesat least by three times the in-can viscosity of the paint. Applicant hasunexpectedly discovered that when the volatile water-soluble organicsolvent in the range of from 0.2% to 10%, preferably in the range offrom 1% to 10% and more preferably in the range of from 1% to 5%, all involume percentages based on the total paint volume, is added to thecomposition, the foregoing unexpected results are achieved.

The volatile water soluble organic solvent suitable for use in thepresent invention includes any organic solvent which is soluble in waterat 20° C. to at least 5 percent by weight of the total weight of theaqueous solution, and which has an evaporation rate equal to or greaterthan n-butyl alcohol. Examples of suitable solvents include, but are notrestricted to, acetone, methyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate,methyl ethyl ketone, propylene glycol methyl ether, ethylene glycolmethyl ether, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, n-propanol, sec-butanol,isobutanol, t-butanol, n-butanol, ethyl acetate, propylene glycolmonomethylether acetate, ethylene glycol monomethylether acetate,propylene glycol monomethylether, ethylene glycol monomethylether, andmixtures thereof. The preferred solvents are acetone and methanol.Acetone is more preferred.

The coating composition of the present invention further includes alatex binder, which may be a dispersed polymer having polymer particlesdispersed in an aqueous evaporable carrier or it may either be a watersoluble polymer, a water-reducible polymer, a mixture of the watersoluble and water-reducible polymers in the aqueous evaporable carrier,or a mixture of the dispersed, water-reducible and water solublepolymers in the aqueous evaporable carrier. If desired the latex bindermay include a mixture of a dispersed polymer with a water soluble or awater-reducible polymer. The latex binder in the form of a dispersedpolymer particles is preferred, wherein the particle size of thedispersed polymer particles varies in the range of from 20 to 1000nanometers, preferably in the range of from 30 to 300 nanometers, morepreferably in the range of from 100 to 250 nanometers.

The latex polymer suitable for use in the present invention includes anemulsion polymer of mono- or poly-ethylenically unsaturated olefinic,vinyl or acrylic monomers, including homopolymers and copolymers of suchmonomers. Specifically, the dispersed polymer may include poly(vinylacetate) and copolymers of vinyl acetate (preferably at least 50% byweight) with one or more of vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride,styrene, vinyltoluene, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, acrylamide,methacrylamide, maleic acid and esters thereof, or one or more of theacrylic and methacrylic acid esters mentioned in U.S. Pat. Nos.2,795,564 and 3,356,627, which polymers are well-known as thefilm-forming component of aqueous base paints; homopolymers of C₂-C₄₀alpha olefins such as ethylene, isobutylene, octene, nonene, andstyrene; copolymers of one or more of these hydrocarbons with one ormore esters, nitriles or amides of acrylic acid or of methacrylic acidor with vinyl esters, such as vinyl acetate and vinyl chloride, or withvinylidene chloride; and diene polymers, such as copolymers of butadienewith one or more of styrene, vinyl toluene, acylonitrile,methacrylonitrile, and esters of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid. It isalso quite common to include a small amount, such as 0.5 to 2.5% ormore, of an acid monomer in the monomer mixture used for making thecopolymers mentioned above by emulsion polymerization. Acids usedinclude acrylic, methacrylic, itaconic, citraconic, crotonic, maleic,fumaric, the dimer of methacrylic acid.

The vinyl acetate copolymers are well-known and include copolymers suchas vinyl acetate/butyl acrylate/2-ethylhexyl acrylate, vinylacetate/butyl maleate, vinyl acetate/ethylene, vinyl acetate/vinylchloride/butyl acrylate and vinyl acetate/vinyl chloride/ethylene.

Other suitable monomers from which the latex binder may be polymerizedfrom include at least one or more of the following monomers, such as,for example, acrylic and methacrylic ester monomers including methyl(meth)acrylate, ethyl (meth)acrylate, butyl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl(meth)acrylate, decyl (meth)acrylate, lauryl (meth)acrylate, isobornyl(meth)acrylate, isodecyl (meth)acrylate, oleyl (meth)acrylate, palmityl(meth)acrylate, stearyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, andhydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate; acid functional monomers, such as, acrylicacid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid andmaleic acid; monomethyl itaconate; monomethyl fumarate; monobutylfumarate; maleic anhydride; acrylamide or substituted acrylamides;sodium vinyl sulfonate; phosphoethyl (meth)acrylate; acrylamido propanesulfonate; diacetone acrylamide; glycidyl methacrylate; acetoacetylethylmethacrylate; acrolein and methacrolein; dicyclopentadienylmethacrylate; dimethyl meta-isopropenyl benzyl isocyanate; isocyanatoethylmethacrylate; styrene or substituted styrenes; butadiene; ethylene;vinyl acetate or other vinyl esters, N-vinyl pyrrolidone; aminomonomers, such as, for example, N,N′-dimethylamino and (meth)acrylate.

The polymerization techniques used for preparing the latex binder of thepresent invention are well known in the art. The binder may be preparedby emulsion or solution polymerization, preferably by free-radicalinitiation. The polymerization may be performed continuously orbatch-wise. Either thermal or redox initiation processes may be used.

The polymerization process is typically initiated by conventional freeradical initiators, which include hydrogen peroxide; hydroperoxides,such as, t-butyl hydroperoxide; dialkyl peroxides, such as, di-t-butylperoxide; peroxy esters, such as, t-butylperoxy pivalate; diacylperoxides, such as, benzoyl peroxide; azo compounds, such as,2-2′-azobisisobutyronitrile; and, ammonium and alkali persulfates, suchas, sodium persulfate, typically at a level of 0.05 percent to 3.0percent by weight, all weight percentages based on the total weight ofthe monomer mixture. Redox systems using the same initiators coupledwith a suitable reductant such as, for example, sodium bisulfite, sodiumhydrosulfite, sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate and ascorbic acid, may beused at similar levels.

Chain transfer agents may be used in an amount effective to provide thedesired GPC weight average molecular weight. For the purposes ofregulating molecular weight of the latex binder being formed, suitablechain transfer agents include well known halo-organic compounds, suchas, carbon tetrabromide and dibromodichloromethane; sulfur-containingcompounds, such as, alkylthiols including ethanethiol, butanethiol,tert-butyl and ethyl mercaptoacetate, as well as aromatic thiols; orvarious other organic compounds having hydrogen atoms which are readilyabstracted by free radicals during polymerization. Additional suitablechain transfer agents or ingredients include but are not limited tobutyl mercaptopropionate; isooctylmercapto propionate; bromoform;bromotrichloromethane; carbon tetrachloride; alkyl mercaptans, such as,1-dodecanthiol, tertiary-dodecyl mercaptan, octyl mercaptan, tetradecylmercaptan, and hexadecyl mercaptan; alkyl thioglycolates, such as, butylthioglycolate, isooctyl thioglycoate, and dodecyl thioglycolate;thioesters; or combinations thereof Mercaptans are preferred.

When the latex binder in the form of a dispersed polymer is utilized,the polymer particle size is controlled by the amount of conventionalsurfactants added during the emulsion polymerization process.Conventional surfactants include anionic, nonionic emulsifiers or theircombination. Typical anionic emulsifiers include the salts of fattyrosin and naphthenic acids, condensation products of napthalene sulfonicacid and formaldehyde of low molecular weight, carboxylic polymers andcopolymers of the appropriate hydrophile-lipophile balance, alkali orammonium alkyl sulfates, alkyl sulfonic acids, alkyl phosphonic acids,fatty acids, and oxyethylated alkyl phenol sulfates and phosphates.Typical nonionic emulsifiers include alkylphenol ethoxylates,polyoxyethylenated alkyl alcohols, amine polyglycol condensates,modified polyethoxy adducts, long chain carboxylic acid esters, modifiedterminated alkylaryl ether, and alkylpolyether alcohols. Typical rangesfor surfactants are between 0.1 to 6 percent by weight based on thetotal weight of the monomer mixture.

Alternatively, the latex binder may include multi-stage polymerparticles having two or more phases of various geometric structures,such as, for example, core/shell or core/sheath particles, core/shellparticles with shell phases incompletely encapsulating the core,core/shell particles with a multiplicity of cores and interpenetratingnetwork particles. In all of these cases, the majority of the surfacearea of the particle will be occupied by at least one outer phase andthe interior of the polymer particle will be occupied by at least oneinner phase The outer phase of the multi-stage polymer particles weighs5 weight percent to 95 weight percent based on the total weight of theparticle. It is often desirable for each stage of the multi-stagepolymer particles to have a different Tg. If desired, each stage ofthese multi-stage polymer particles may be provided with different GPCweight average molecular weight, such as, the multi-stage polymerparticle composition disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,171.

In addition, the coating composition suitable for use in the presentinvention may include standard formulation additives, such ascoalescents, pigments, extenders, defoamers, surfactants, wettingagents, dispersants, waxes, slip aids, and crosslinkers. Thecoalescents, as used herein are those film forming agents that evaporatefrom an applied layer, substantially after the evaporation of thevolatile water soluble organic solvent and water present in the appliedlayer.

The coating composition of the present invention is generally providedwith a solids content in the range of from 50 percent to 85 percent, allin volume percentages based on the total volume of the composition.

The paint containing the coating composition of the present invention isgenerally provided with a pigment volume concentration in the range offrom 40 percent to 70 percent, all in volume percentages based on thetotal volume of the paint.

If desired, the method of the present invention may include droppingglass beads on the layer of a traffic paint containing the coatingcomposition of the present invention before the layer dries to ensurethe adhesion of the glass beads to the layer applied to a road surface.Facially disposed glass beads on the traffic markings act as lightreflectors. If glass beads are not used, the traffic markings would bedifficult to see under night and wet weather conditions. Thus, almostall of the traffic markings are generally beaded, i.e., glass beadssprinkled and affixed on top of the coatings roughly at the rate of 0.72to 2.9 kilograms or more per liter of paint for night and wet weathervisibility. The glass beads are dropped by methods known in the art,such as, by spraying the glass beads entrained and conveyed by a jet ofair and dropped atop the layer or by sprinkling the glass beads at adesired rate from a storage hopper positioned above the layer of thetraffic paint. The glass beads are applied over the layer, while thelayer is still in its “wet” state, i.e., before the layer dries up toform the traffic paint marking. The amount of glass beads dropped on thelayer is dependent upon the size, refractive index, and surfacetreatment of the glass beads. The typical glass beads specified fortraffic markings are described under AASHTO Designation M 247-81 (1993)developed by American Association of State Highway and TransportationOfficials, Washington, D.C. Optionally, glass beads may be premixed withthe traffic paint before it is applied to road surfaces.

The method of the present invention can be used to produce a quickdrying coating useful as, a pavement or road marking traffic paint forconcrete, asphalt or bituminous roads, walkways, or parking lots, ametal protection coating, a mastic for roofs or other buildingcomponents, and a coating for masonry, wood, plastics, woven andnonwoven fabrics and fibers, glass, leather, or paper.

TEST PROCEDURES

The following test procedures were used for generating the data reportedin Examples below:

Set-to-Touch Dry Test

This test was performed in accordance with ASTM Method D 1640. A layerhaving a wet film thickness of 0.305 mms (12 mil) from a test paintprepared in accordance with the present invention or a comparativepaint, was drawn down on an aluminum panel. The layer was thenperiodically touched lightly with a finger. Set-to-Dry time was recordedwhen the layer no longer adhered to the finger.

In-can Paint Viscosity Measurement

In-can paint viscosities were measured by a Brookfield Model LVTViscometer supplied by Brookfield Engineering Laboratories INC.,Stoughton, Ma., using # 3 spindle @ 30 RPM.

EXAMPLES

Associative Thickener Preparation

Examples of associative thickeners (T₁ and T₂), shown in Table 1 below,were made by the following standard procedure:

A 100 ml 3-neck round bottom flask was outfitted with a reflux condenserconnected to a drying tube filled with CaSO₄, a gas inlet tube, a serumcap, and a magnetic stirrer. The solid components (marked with * inTable 1 below) were placed into the flask, the system was flushed withdry nitrogen, the stirrer was turned on, and then the flask was warmeduntil the solid components melted. The liquid components were theninjected into the flask via the serum cap in the order listed in Table 1below, then the mixture was heated at reflux for 5 hours. Then 10 g ofethanol was added to the flask, and refluxing continued for anadditional hour. The resulting solutions were poured into open glassjars and placed in a 160° F. oven for four days until all of thevolatiles had been removed. The resulting solids were then dissolved inmethanol to make 33.3 percent solutions by weight based on the totalweight of the solution.

TABLE 1 Thickener # T₁ T₂ poly(ethylene glycol)¹ 20.00 g M_(n) = 4600*poly(ethylene glycol)² 20.00 g M_(n) = 8000* octanol 0.57 g 0.33 gethylene glycol 0.14 g 0.08 g methyl ethyl ketone 4.00 g 4.00 gisophorone diisocyanate 1.94 g 1.12 g T-12 (1% solution in 0.07 g 0.07 gpropylene glycol methyl ether acetate) methyl ethyl ketone 8.00 g 8.00 g¹supplied by Aldrich Chemical Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin ²supplied byAldrich Chemical Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin M_(n) means numberaverage molecular weight *these were solid components

Paint Preparation

The following Master Batches were prepared by mixing together theingredients listed below in Table 2 in the order shown:

TABLE 2 Master Batches # B₂ B₁ Emulsion polymer¹ 302.2 g 3802.5 g water56.8 g 568.5 g Dispersant² 7.2 g 72.0 g Defoamer³ 2.0 g 20.0 g Pigment⁴100.0 g 1000.0 g Extender⁵ 760.6 g 7606.0 g Coalescing agent*⁶ 230.0 gwater* 230.0 g Surfactant*⁷ 1.0 g ¹Rhoplex ® TP-257 emulsion polymersupplied by Rohm and Haas Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ²Tamol ®901 Dispersant @ 30 percent based on the solids supplied by Rohm andHaas Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ³Drewplus ® L-493 Defoamersupplied by Drew Chemical Company, Boonton, New Jersey ⁴TiPure ® R-900titanium dioxide white pigment supplied by E. I. duPont de Nemours &Company, Wilmington, Delaware ⁵Omyacarb ®-5 Ground natural calciumcarbonate, evaluated under ASTM D 1199, Type GC, Grade II having anumber average particle size of 5.5 microns with maximum oil absorptionNo. of 10, supplied by Omya, Inc., Proctor, Vermont ⁶Texanol ® Esteralcohol supplied by Eastman Chemicals, Kingsport, Tennessee ⁷Triton ®X-405 Octyl phenoxy polyethoxyethanol Surfactant supplied by UnionCarbide Chemicals, Inc., Danbury, Connecticut @ 70 percent solids byweights *these ingredients were premixed

The following test paints P₁ through P₄ and P₅ and comparative testpaints CP₁ through CP₅ were prepared by mixing together the ingredientslisted below in the order shown. The amount of thickener added wasadjusted to achieve the viscosity listed in Table 4 later.

TABLE 3 Master Batch Solvent* water* Thickener P₁ 654.8 g (B₁)  5.55 g¹14.54 g T₁ P₂ 730.8 g (B₁) 12.40 g¹ 10.01 g T₁ P₃ 705.3 g (B₁)  5.98 g¹15.65 g T₂ P₄ 685.8 g (B₁) 11.63 g¹  9.40 g T₂ CP₁ 676.0 g (B₁) 11.47 g² 9.26 g Associative Thickener⁴ P₅ 200.0 g (B₂)  6.0 g¹  7.0 g T₂ CP₂200.0 g (B₂)  6.0 g¹  7.0 g CP₃ 200.0 g (B₂)  6.0 g³  7.0 g T₂ CP₄ 200.0g (B₂) 13.0 g T₂ CP₅ 200.0 g (B₂)  6.0 g¹  7.0 g Non-Assoc. Thickener⁵¹acetone ²diethylene glycol butyl ether ³ethylene glycol butyl ether⁴Acrysol ® RM-825 Associative thickener supplied by Rohm and HaasCompany, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ⁵Acrysol ® ASE-60 Non-associativethickener supplied by Rohm and Haas Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania*these ingredients were premixed

The highest amount VOC in the test paints was in P₂ at 86 grams perliter of paint and the lowest amount was in P₅ at 80 grams per liter ofpaint. Thus, all the test paints were well within the proposed upperlimit for VOC in paint. For proper comparison, the comparative paintsalso had VOC in similar amounts.

TABLE 4 Solvent level (% on resin viscosity Set to Touch Paint # solids)Thickener (cps) time (min.) P₁  5¹ T₁ 2520 7.25 P₂ 10¹ T₁ 2840 2.25 P₃ 5¹ T₂ 2520 6 P₄ 10¹ T₂ 2320 2 CP₁ 10² Associative 2400 11 Thickener³ P₅10¹ T₂ 1500 3.5 CP₂ 10¹ No Thickener 1230 22 CP₃ 10² T₂ 1400 12.5 CP₄ Nosolvent T₂ 1460 14 CP₅ 10¹ Non-Assoc. 1660 14 Thickener⁴ ¹Solvent havinghigh volatility ²Solvent having low volatility ³Acrysol ® RM-825Associative thickener supplied by Rohm and Haas Company, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania ⁴Acrysol ® ASE-60 Non-associative thickener supplied byRohm and Haas Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Table 4 above, shows the set-to-touch dry times in minutes obtained fromvarious composition having substantially the same viscosity (The firstset of P₁-P₄ and CP₁ and the second set of P₅, CP₂-CP₅). From the testresults shown in Table 4, it can be seen that as the amount of solventadded to the paint is increased (P₁ versus P₂ and P₃ versus P₄),set-to-dry time is substantially reduced. However, due to environmentallimitation, there is a limit to how much solvent can be added to thecomposition.

Furthermore, Table 4 also shows that when an associative thickener (P₅)is substituted with non-associative thickener (CP₅) in the composition,there is substantial increase in the set-touch-dry time. Similarly, whenno associative thickener was used (CP₂), or when low volatility solventwas used (CP₃), or when no solvent was used (CP₄) the set-to-touch drytime was significantly higher than the paint which contained theassociative thickener and high volatility water soluble organic solventwas included in amounts disclosed earlier (P₅). Thus, it is seen thatapplicant has unexpectedly discovered that by including a certaindesired level of associative thickener and high volatility water solubleorganic solvent in the coating composition, a single pack low VOC paint,which can be applied easily by convention means, such as single sprayhead, and which has fast dry characteristic, was obtained.

What is claimed is:
 1. A single pack fast dry paint comprising a low VOCwaterborne coat composition, said composition comprising: a latexbinder; an associative thickener; and a water soluble organic volatilesolvent, wherein the amounts said associave thickener snd said solventare such that a single pack fast dry paint containing said compositionhas an in-can visoity under ambient condition in the range of from 1,000cps to 6,000 cps and a set-to-touch dry time under ASTM D-1640 of lesstban 10 minutes.
 2. The paint of claim 1, wherein said thickener isselected from the group consisting of HEUR, HASE, acrylamide copolyner,and mixtures thereof.
 3. The paint of claim 1, wherein said solvent isselected from the group consisting of acetone, methyl acetate,tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, propylene glycolmethyl ether, ethylene glycol methyl ether, methanol, ethanol,isopropanol n-propanol, sec-butanol, isobutanol, n-butanol, and mixturesthereof.
 4. The paint of claim 1, wherein said associative thickener ispresent in the amount of 0.01% to 10% by volume, based on the totalvolume of said composition.
 5. The paint of claim 1, wherein said watersoluble organic volatile solvent is present in the amount of 0.2% to 10% by volume, based on the total volume of said composition.
 6. The paintof claim 1, wherein pigment volume concentation of said paint is 40% to70%, all in volume percentages based on the total volume of said paint.7. The paint of claim 1, wherein said composition has a solids contentof 50% to 85%, all in volume peercentages based on the total volume ofsaid composition.
 8. The paint of claim 1, wherein single pack fast drypaint is a traffic marking paint.
 9. A coating prepared by a methodcomprising: applying under ambient conditions on a surface of asubstrate said single pack fst dry paint of claim 9 to form a layer onsaid substrate; and evaporating said solvent from said layer to formsaid coating on said substrate.
 10. The coating of claim 9, where saidsolvent from said layer is evaporated in 10 seconds to 30 minutes underhigh humidity conditions.
 11. The coating of claim 9, where said coatingis a taffic marking coating.